Survivors Blog
As Above, So Below
I’ve been reflecting, as I regularly do… Let’s consider the environment. Chaos on the outside, chaos on the inside. Calm on the outside, calm on the inside. Hate on the outside, hate on the inside. Love on the outside, love on the inside. This is how it might work for those of us who have…
Filtering Reality: Attention, Awareness, and the Expanding Mind
In The Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley described something extraordinary. Under the influence of mescaline, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in the peyote cactus, his brain activity didn’t increase — it decreased — yet his perception expanded. Colours deepened, time slowed, and…
Learning to Say No: Reclaiming Ourselves Through the STAND Framework
How We Learned to Fear “No” From early childhood, many of us were conditioned to equate obedience with love. When we complied, we were rewarded with affection or approval. When we resisted, expressed anger, or said no, we were met with disapproval, punishment, or withdrawal. We didn’t just learn…
Finding Belonging Away From Home
I’ve been reflecting on what it really means to belong — not just to live somewhere, but to feel that deep exhale of “this is home.” Is it possible to truly belong to a place you weren’t born or raised in? Is belonging something we’re invited into through acceptance — or something that grows…
How Far is “Farthest”? Rethinking the Language of Welfare and Worth
When the Department for Work and Pensions classifies someone as “furthest from the labour market,” it might sound like neutral language — a simple policy term. But for the person it describes, already living in a state of survival, it can feel like a final verdict. “Farthest” sounds unreachable.…